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#1 Tom Lawlor
The biggest shock of all of 2018's releases was unquestionably "Filthy" Tom Lawlor.
A veteran of 11 UFC fights, Lawlor was a cast member of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter as part of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir's team.
Adept at winning by Knockout or Submission, Lawlor quickly ascended the UFC ranks, defeating perennial contender, C.B. Dollaway at UFC 100 as well as other notable MMA stars such as Patrick Cote, Chris Weidman and Jason McDonald.
His most recent fight came at UFC 196 in a loss to Corey Anderson on March 5, 2016. In November that year, Lawlor was suspended for failed an out of competition drug test by USADA several weeks earlier.
He was handed a two-year ban, that is scheduled to be lifted in October 2018. For reasons unknown, the UFC decided to release him mere weeks before the ban was lifted.
A household name, Lawlor's release is the most shocking of 2018.
